The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s eight feature film, following up on from 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom, but also it is my first experience of a Wes Anderson film, bar trailers and clips of his previous works. So I wasn’t sure how his unique filmmaking style would go down, as just from watching a few seconds of the trailer, it’s clear that it is a style almost completely unlike anything else out there.

The plot for Budapest is simultaneously, complicated and simple at the same time. The basic plot follows the concierge of The Grand Budapest Hotel Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) in his job of running the luxury hotel. Tending to his elderly female guests in a very caring and “hands on” approach. One particular elderly woman is scared to leave the hotel this time as she fears it will be the last time they see each other. Gustave brushes it off and manages to get her out of the hotel.

A few days later she is found dead and with his new lobby boy, Zero, Gustave sets out to pay his respects. During the reading of the will Gustave is left a priceless painting, much to the anger of the family. Deciding not to wait, Gustave and Zero steal the painting and start a mad dash to avoid the law and the family.

Mixed in with this, is a love story, the start of a war and the running of the hotel while Gustave is away. Which is more important to Gustave is up for you to decide.

Ralph Fiennes, in his first Anderson role, is magnificent in the role of Gustave. He glides through the hotel with the air of a flamboyant and sympathetic dictator. He barks instructions at his staff while schmoozing with his guests in the lobby. Fiennes brings a flair to the foul language that Anderson’s script uses almost as punctuation marks in the dialogue scenes. The cast is staggering, with big names popping up to fill small roles, the film is held together by Fiennes, in which everything else rotates around.

As I mentioned briefly, Anderson’s style and look of the film is very unique. Visually, Budapest at times looks like a slightly better funded version of a Monty Python film, particularly the mountain scenes and the external shots of the hotel and the local town. I’m sure there are other styles and film makers that have influenced him, but for me, this was what came to me first and has stuck with me.

Anderson, considering that the film operates in three different time periods, has used the aspect ratio of that time (more of less) to differentiate between them. Although, it is the grander settings of the 30’s section that receives the most restricted and box like ratio, whereas the 60’s and 80’s period get a larger and more recognisable ratio, but for nothing more than a lot of conversations in an empty hotel. (sentence too long)

The rest of the cast, bar Tony Revolori (Zero) and Saoirse Ronan (Agatha) have only a few scenes and cut through the journey of Gustave and Zero at random. Harvey Keitel as a New York accented jail breaker is a particular treat.

But it’s Revolori who, bar Fiennes, is the stand out in this film. He manages to keep his cool despite the problems that he is faced with, Gustave's over the top personality and his love of Agatha. Most of his lines are delivered with a dead pan edge of that talks down to whoever he is conversing with, which gives him an equally powerful and weak standing amongst the characters.

The Grand Budapest Hotel will, I’m sure be quite divisive, if you don’t get it within the first ten to fifteen minutes, then it’s extremely likely that it may not be for you. It has a very unique look and with it a unique voice when it deals with some of it’s weightier issues. A run of the mill comedic drama this certainly isn’t.

I certainly enjoyed my visit to The Grand Budapest Hotel. Who wouldn’t?

Director: Wes Anderson

Writer: Wes Anderson (screenplay and story) and Hugo Guinness (story)

The Top Five Films of 2013.

It’s that time of the year again, the Globes, BAFTA’s and Oscars have passed by and at last it’s come to big one. The Stu-ies. It’s the same deal as last year. Any film released in the UK in the last twelve months or if they became eligible for the Oscars were all in the mix to be on this most exclusive of lists.

5. The Place Beyond The Pines

Derek Cianfrance’s generational crime drama, was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. Initially when I saw the first few images from it, I was less than enthused about seeing seeking it out. For a film that shows the damage a parent, or lack of one can do to a child, it also entertained from start to finish. Yes, the films chapters get stronger as the film progresses, but no chapter drags and each presents a fully formed film, at the mercy of what came before and affecting what follows.

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writers: Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder.

4. The Hunt

How would you react if someone you had known all your life was accused by your young daughter of exposing himself to her? Would you believe your best friend? Or your young daughter? Within that premise and those questions is the truly horrible scenario we see primary school teacher Lucas forced into. Ostracised and instantly hated, his life is torn apart, not by the truth or his own actions but the fear of those around him.

Mads Mikkelsen, should have quite honestly been nominated for every single Lead Male acting category this year. Few got close to the level of performance he gave us this year. But no doubt due it not being in English, it counted against him, Thomas Vinterberg and the film as a whole. Expect an English language remake in the next two to three years.

Director: Thomas Vinterberg.

Writers: Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm.

3. The Wolf of Wall Street

Let’s be honest, the trailer for this film was better than a lot of what came out this year. It shut people up in the cinema, it actually got their attention and you could people saying “I want to see that” after it finished.

For, me the third in a loose trilogy with Goodfella’s and Casino, Wolf is the funniest Scorcese film in a long time and arguably his best film since Casino. It’s sprawling but also closely focused on this one man who climbed so high and became so powerful that he could almost do anything he wanted, have anything he wanted and get away with it…almost.

Did anyone write a better script than Terence Winter this year? No. He made a took an unlikeable man who took advantage of countless people to make himself stupidly rich and didn’t make him that likeable. He made him and his group of followers interesting, funny, depraved, stupid but never likeable. This, right here, is the secret of the films success and it’s greatest strength.

Director: Martin Scorcese.

Writer: Terence Winter.

2. Captain Phillips

I could quite easily have put this joint first place. It was that close. Both films in which life on the water plays an integral part to the story.

I could only vaguely remember the events as they played out a few years ago and as a result wasn’t sure what happened or how the hostage situation ultimately came to an end.  So I was relatively blank when this film started and let it carry me along. Like Paul Greengrass’s other work, after about five minutes you hooked and in Phillips you are only introduced to both Phillips and Muse. By the time the two meet, you are in deep as the tension starts to crank.

A lot of people talk about stakes when it comes to films. Here the stakes are, as far as action films go, relatively low, just one man. Although what that one man signifies is a lot bigger. As you see from America’s response. It’s by this time, roughly half way through, that you’ll know if you’re in. As tensions become almost unbearable in the lifeboat and the SEALs wait for instructions from their commanders before the lifeboat reaches the Somali coast.

How Tom Hanks was overlooked by the Academy is quite frankly, farcical. There wasn’t a better two or three minutes of acting than at the very end of this film.

Director: Paul Greengrass.

Writer: Billy Ray.

1.Mud

Jeff Nichols third feature film, his best so far and the best film of the year. Captain Phillips pushed it close, but for me this never dropped from my top spot from when I say it back in October. A mix between a modern western and Huckleberry Finn, Nichols created a whole world and filled it with messed men, women and children (Two of the best child performances you’ll see anywhere).

Considering that Matthew McConaughey has just one an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, I am actually surprised that he didn’t get anything for Mud, as for me he gives a much more interesting and engaging performance here.

I could go on and on about Mud, but the best advice I could give to you is to go and buy it and watch it for yourself and see a film that has been tragically overlooked by the academy and hasn’t received the worldwide recognition it deserves.

I eagerly await Jeff Nichols next film.

Director: Jeff Nichols.

Writer: Jeff Nichols.